Hunt
by xHandWhistlerx
Summary: Ludwig is ordered by Bowser to teach his nuisance of a younger brother, Bowser Jr., how to hunt. They are leary of one another at first, but as Ludwig teaches and Junior learns, they begin to form a stronger bond.


Hunt

Ludwig lay with his arms crossed behind his head in the long, unkempt grass. He stared at the cloud-strewn sky, waiting impatiently for his younger brother to turn up; he was due to arrive a half hour ago. Sighing, he recounted the conversation with his father.

" Ludwig!" Bowser had yelled for him.

" Yes, father?" Ludwig, now eighteen, had questioned as he entered his father's throne room.

" I want you to teach little Bowser Jr. how to hunt. He's ten years old now and he still hasn't been taught how."

" Because you haven't taught him yet…?" A crease had formed between Ludwig's eyes as he raised his brows imploringly.

" I haven't had time; you know that!" The king growled. " I taught all of your other brothers to hunt-,"

" Then why not have one of _them_ teach him? Why do we have to teach him at all? He's so spoiled that he always gets what he wants and he's always conveniently stationed in easy grasp of food! He won't need to know!"

" SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND DO AS I SAY!" Bowser had roared, enraged at his son's contradictory behavior. " And never speak about your brother that way. He's the best out of all of you; look at the things he's done-,"

Ludwig again interrupted. " He's only been able to do those things because you've provided him with the machines and contraptions to do it. And most of those were invented by either Iggy or myself."

" STOP interrupting me!" Bowser snarled. " You will teach your brother to hunt or I'll beat you across the head so hard that you'll not think straight for three months."

" Of course. Anything for the little _treasure_." Ludwig had breathed in acidic sarcasm as he whisked out of the room with snout in the air, defiant.

He exhaled slowly through his nostrils and massaged his temples as he worked to forget the negative thoughts. His ears perked up slightly when he heard sounds in the distance. He sat up and his eyes searched out and discovered the source. His little brother was coming at last. *

" You were supposed to be here a long time ago." Ludwig said tonelessly, standing up, when his younger brother arrived.

Bowser Jr. made an annoyed noise, " I had stuff to do. Unlike _you_." He smirked.

" Actually, Junior, I can think of about twenty things I could be doing right now. But, I have the great pleasure of trying to make you listen to me so you can learn to hunt." Ludwig, still in an unaffected monotone, told his brother.

" Yeah great. Whatever." Junior rolled his eyes as he examined his claws.

" Oh, this'll be a trip." Ludwig thought to himself.

" Hey, where's your shell? You're supposed to be wearing it right now so people know you're royalty. I'm gonna hafta tell daddy that you're not following rules." He smiled threateningly.

" The reason I am without that heavy burden is because we'll be hunting. In hunting, you must be stealthy and light on your feet; having that extra however-many pounds on your back doesn't exactly help you there." Ludwig explained. There was a long pause. " Well. Take yours off."

Junior sighed exasperatedly and grumbled under his breath as he slipped out of the shining green shell. He set it on the ground and stretched.

" See? It feels nice, doesn't it? It gives you a sense of freedom…A feeling of untamed prowess and strength…It makes you want to just…run away. Far away…" He trailed off as he stared into the wide, and endless beyond.

Junior raised his eyebrows, questioning his brother's sanity.

Ludwig glanced down at him after several moments and cleared his throat awkwardly. " Anyway…Let's begin." He clapped his hands together.

" I don't wanna." Junior said defiantly, crossing his arms. " Why can't dad teach me?"

" Because he's too, ah, _busy_ for that." Ludwig said sarcastically as he held up quote signs. " Now then, the-,"

" Why do _you_ have to teach me?" Junior asked.

" Because I've been hunting longer than you're other siblings, meaning I have the most experience." Ludwig growled. " _Now then_, if I can get through a sentence without another _interruption_," He glared, " We can begin the lesson. Step one: Observe your surroundings. Does this look like a likely area for your prey to be? No, not really. Do you know why?"

Junior looked around for a moment. " Nope."

Ludwig sighed, " Because it's wide open. There are no places to hide out here in this big open meadow. Sure, the grass is long, but not long enough to hide any large animals. Only small ones would come out here, and they're hard to see unless you have a good, aerial view. Understand?"

" Sure, whatever." Junior replied, still studying his talons.

" You didn't hear a word I said, did you." Ludwig said, for it was more of a plain fact than a question.

" Huh? Uh, well you said this is a crappy place for animals to hide because…because…"

" Okay, at least you got the jist of it. This is a bad place to hide." He said. " Step Two: Scent the air. You might pick up the scent of animals that used to be here, and if it's fresh enough, follow it." He then lifted his nose to the wind and sniffed lightly. " Oh, when you do this, aim in the direction that the wind is hitting you; it blows the different smells right to you. And really concentrate on what you're smelling." He looked down at Junior again. " Come on. Do it with me."

Junior then stuck his nose in the air, mimicking his brother.

" Um, dad taught me some scents to know." Junior told Ludwig.

" Good. At least he taught you _something_."

" I smell one. I think…I think its deer."

" Close. You're smelling moose, actually." Ludwig almost smiled down at the young Koopa for this display of intelligence, but instead merely cleared his throat again. " Alright, step three: follow it. Come; they'll be hiding in the forest." *

Junior followed behind his older brother, dragging his feet in a display of annoyance. He found that he was becoming oddly excited, though he had no idea why killing something and tearing out its innards was appealing to him in any way.

They had soon entered the forest and Ludwig began looking at the trees.

" I suppose this could be another step, though I don't know how many people do it. Try to look at the trees and greenery to see if there is a path where an animal walked. Or _has _walked. Sometimes wild pigs use a certain path so much that it wears away a run in the ground. You can almost guarantee that you'll get a kill there if it's the right time of day or you have enough patience to wait." He explained, although he had a feeling that Junior was not listening as attentively as he would like. " Did you get all that?" He asked.

" Uh, yeah. Look at stuff and wait for pigs." Came the drawling reply.

Ludwig merely sighed to himself and continued his study of the woods.

" Hey, Ludwig! Look!" Came an uncommonly passionate call from Junior.

Ludwig turned to see what could have caused the excitement. He was surprised as well when, in the distance, a small herd of about five moose was revealed through the mist.

" Good job, Junior!" Ludwig congratulated him in a hoarse whisper. " But, keep quiet. We'll not want to scare them off." He then dropped onto all fours.

" Whoa, whoa. What are you doing?"

" Getting out of sight. Do you want your prey to see you? I'd think not. Now, come on." He gestured for his younger brother to join him in the mosses and twigs.

" Can't we just, I dunno, hide behind trees or something?" Junior asked, not moving.

" What? Are you afraid you'll get all dirty? I thought you weren't a wimp." Ludwig taunted, which he knew was the best, albeit immature, way to bend Junior to his will. It was effective as it normally was. " Now, follow me. Try to be as silent as you possibly can." He then began to crawl forward slowly, the movements of his hands and feet gentle and practiced.

Junior, on the other hand, had rarely walked on all fours before and was having a time figuring out the proper pattern. He constantly rolled his eyes; tail flicking with annoyance as his fragile temper began to waver.

Luckily, they soon found themselves in the bushes near where the group of hulking animals was traipsing about peacefully.

" Alright, let's jump 'em." Junior said jumpily as he crouched in the bushes.

" No!" Ludwig hissed, gripping his shoulder tightly. " They're heading in the direction of the meadow. We'll follow them until they are out of the trees; then we'll strike."

" Well, why not now?" Junior huffed, crossing his arms.

" Think about it; which is easier? Chasing something while you're trying to navigate through trees, or chasing something in wide open space?" Ludwig asked, weighing the options by moving filthy upturned palms up and down.

" Oh…" Junior flushed slightly at his nearsightedness. *

The two predators stalked their prey silently through the bushes and briars, Junior nearly giving them away due to his clumsiness. They soon came to the meadow and watched as the moose cautiously stepped into the wild grass.

" Now, now!" Junior breathed with anxiety, palms sweaty.

" Not yet…I'll be doing the first round anyway. Watch me very closely." Ludwig whispered, scales bristling as he prepared himself to lunge. His eyes widened, the slit pupils dilating with a feverish light. His unsheathed talons dug divots into the loose earth and his tail twitched about as though it were readying itself as well.

Junior was not sure if he liked the wild aura radiating from his brother. It frightened him and gave him a feeling of queasiness, yet at the same time it filled him with a sense of excitement and wonder. He watched for even slight movements of his brothers frozen form, feeling himself rigid with stillness as well.

Then Ludwig sprang into motion with such abruptness that Junior fell over with a gasp. He charged like a wolf out into the open, where the moose quickly scattered. He made a sudden right and began to circle them, picking out the slowest and weakest. He found it: a young one, still closely following its mother, fear in its eyes. He made more rounds of the herd, driving them further into the open while unleashing short roars to scare them into keeping away from the sheltering forest. He had soon managed to separate the calf from its mother. It bolted further into the field in incoherent horror with Ludwig in hot pursuit. He was patient, awaiting the best timing to lunge.

The calf wailed in agony when Ludwig pounced forward and latched onto the flesh of it's heaving sides. They toppled over together, Ludwig rolling into a somersault before placing a paw roughly on its quivering neck. With a snarl he sunk in his teeth, twisted, and with a sickening crack the calf was dead. *

Junior's breath was shaky with apprehension as he watched his brother end the calf's life. He found himself standing and slowly stepping from the trees and toward his brother.

Ludwig sensed the approaching presence and whipped around to snarl long and loudly at his brother, who stumbled backward several steps. He then turned back to his kill, a wild glint in his flashing crimson eyes. Again, he sensed the attendance and placed his lightly shivering body over the corpse and bared his teeth, eyes glaring a warning.

" L-Ludwig?" Junior squeaked fearfully. " It's me, Bowser Jr. Your…your brother." He could not stop the quaking inflections of his voice, for he was terrified of his brother's animalistic behavior; the way his body twitched with an untamed, feral possession. " You're teaching me to hunt. Remember?" He questioned.

Ludwig's features seemed to be softening as the simple memories of his teachings flowed back to him. He glanced down at the body and pulled back from it so that he crouched on his haunches. After composing himself for a few moments longer, he stood and cleared his throat.

" I, ah…I'm sorry for…_that_. Um." He shamefully ran a bloodstained hand through his mop of tangled blue hair. " Did you watch me?"

" Mm hm, every move." Junior nodded nervously up at his brother.

" Good, good…" Ludwig trailed off and for a few minutes they merely stood quietly, avoiding each other's gaze.

" Do we eat it…?" Junior mumbled as he stared at the calf's lifeless form.

" We could. Are you ready for your first taste of fresh raw meat? Or would you rather show father?"

" Why should we? It's not like _I_ killed it or anything."

" True. Are you hungry?" Ludwig asked. When he received a nod of confirmation he bent to the body and placed a paw on its neck again. " You should let it bleed out first. The neck is normally the best place for that. The stomach is good too." He then slashed open the main neck arteries and opened the stomach.

Junior made a retching noise and Ludwig smiled with a slight chuckle as he went about his work.

" Hey, now! You have to watch this. It's all part of the learning experience, buddy!" He grinned.

" Ohhhhhh. I wish I woulda said take it. Ugh." Junior moaned as he tried his best to watch without vomiting.

Soon the work was done and Ludwig had reached within the corpse to pull out a few choice organs.

" Here. This is the liver: the most nutritious and one of the best tasting parts of the animal in my opinion. You can have it; I think I want the heart." He said thoughtfully as he handed the bloody pile of tissue to his brother.

Junior appeared to turn an unhealthy shade of green as he stared at the offering wide-eyed. He eventually mustered up enough courage and reached out to take it. He held it in his hands for a time, weighing it and sloshing it around slightly.

" Weren't you ever told not to play with your food?" Ludwig asked as he chewed on a piece of artery he had torn from the heart he now held in his hand. " Come on now. Eat up. You wanted to, after all."

Junior groaned as he slowly brought the meat to his muzzle and experimentally sniffed it. After minutes of convincing himself he at last sunk his needle-sharp teeth into the liver. Twitching at the new flavors and general texture, he chewed slowly and eventually forced himself to swallow.

" Well? What do you think?" Ludwig asked, licking his fingers, as he had already finished his tidbit.

" S' okay." Was all Junior was able to muster. He did take another bite, though.

Ludwig smiled at his brother before bending and severing part of one of the front legs. He peeled open the muscles and tendons and soon came to the bone, which he then broke in half.

" Bone marrow is very nutritious too. Here, taste some; it's really not bad." He said after lapping out some himself.

Junior took it and tested it. The taste surprised him and he smiled approvingly at Ludwig.

" See? It's not all bad." Ludwig laughed. *

Later, when the sun had begun to sink into the horizon, the two koopas began to venture home. They had cleaned themselves of blood in a nearby stream and had lazed in the sun to dry. They spoke to one another about various things, but mostly hunting. They were both glad of each other's company.

They walked through the tall, waving grass back to the spot where Junior had left his shell. He picked it up and slipped it on again.

" Uh, hey. Ludwig." He said.

" Hm?" Ludwig hummed in response as he gazed at the horizon.

" Uh, I…" He stopped, and then sighed. " Thanks."

Ludwig's eyebrows rose in surprise as he looked down at his brother, who was awkwardly half-smiling at him.

" You're welcome…any time." He responded slowly.

They were quiet and thoughtful the rest of the journey home, but both of them seemed to sense that there was something different between them now. They finally seemed to realize the strength of the bond they shared.

The bond that made them brothers.

End 


End file.
